1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to railroad braking system slack adjusters and, more particularly, to various improvements for protecting slack adjusters against environmental damage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Slack adjusters are provided in the brake rigging of railway vehicles to automatically adjust the slack in the brake rigging to maintain the brake cylinder piston rod travel within a specified distance. Brake cylinder piston rod travel is important for proper balancing of the fluid pressure in the brake cylinder so that all brakes on a train operate under the same conditions and timing and to ensure the substantially uniform braking forces are applied to each set of wheels on each car in the train. Because slack adjusters include a variety of moving parts and are exposed to the elements under a rail car, slack adjusters are exposed to numerous environmental contaminants, such as dust, dirt, and water, which can corrosion and even failure.